Posted on 12/11/2012 2:35:48 PM PST by nascarnation
Coda Automotive, the California-based maker of an all-electric sedan primarily produced in China, last Friday laid off more than 50 employees, including a substantial part of its sales and marketing staff, according to a source familiar with the company’s business. The source, who contacted PluginCars.com about the news, wants to stay anonymous based on concerns about possible “blow back” from Coda executives.
The anonymous source said the company had sold fewer than 100 units of its all-electric sedan since it went on sale in March 2012—and that sales had virtually stopped after the car was recalled by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (for faulty safety equipment) in August. Last week, the Coda sedan earned only two of five stars in recent federal testing of frontal impact—making it even more difficult to instill confidence in prospective customers.
“They just cut everybody they possible could,” said the source. “Their sales department went to just a handful of people. It’s a real mess.” The source indicated that Coda was running low on funds, and that it was having great difficulty finding individual or fleet customers. PluginCars.com placed a call to Coda Automotive to confirm these details, but has not received a reply—perhaps because communications staff has been reduced.
John Gartner, an automotive analyst at Pike Research, is not surprised by Coda’s difficulties. “Coda has not been able to gain traction with consumers or fleets,” he said. “Coda's launch vehicle has not been viewed favorably as consumers have not been willing to compromise ‘just’ to have a vehicle with an electric drivetrain.” Gartner said the founders are likely to shift their attention towards developing their battery technology for other vehicle platforms and for grid energy storage.
Sell it to the Chinese...
they need another handout? Ask China
It seems the tax credit couldn’t save it, probably won’t save others either.
There is a receptacle occupying the White Hut that they can put their prongs in.
DC al.....
How much did we lose in 0bamasubsidy dollars at this company?
Coda=Con Job, designed to get Government money for trips around the world. See how well things sell before you make it. A Good, cheap gas powered car that gets great mileage is what we need.
They should unionize. LOL
You can see even in the obvious (to us) moments that the car had no market allure, the Greentard writer says,
“The anonymous source said the company had sold fewer than 100 units of its all-electric sedan since it went on sale in March 2012—and that sales had virtually stopped after the car was recalled by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (for faulty safety equipment) in August.”
This is a fair side-note to the story, but like all Liberals, they blame someone else, not failed Green technology, not wasted subsidies, not cronyism of Dem donors, not even an ugly, slow car...they blame the saftety aspect.
These Global Warmers are so vested in the lie, it hurts them to see the billions wasted and the fake science uncovered (ClimateGate, Mann, etc.) because THEY WANT TO BELEIVE that somehow we are responsible for it, and that we should BAN things to get there. We should punish ourselves, because, dammit, Capitalism is bad, and I hate the fact my toilet flushes and my TV works, 24/7.
It’s uglier than..., well it’s really ugly.
I try to stay up on what’s out there. I hadn’t even heard of this vehicle. That could be part of their problem.
Where did they advertise, the bottom of trash bins?
And ginning up an auto production plant isn’t an overnight thing. This took years, at least three, to fail.
According to some articles I found on advertising blogs, they were primarily targeting California both for adverts and sales.
Good points...
Well, I live in California, and I don’t remember hearing the name Coda once. Now I may have and forgot about it, but if they were trying to sell them, I should have heard about it enough to remember it.
We’re on the Island of Misfit Toys
Here we don’t want to stay
We want to travel with Santa Claus
In his magic sleigh!
A pack full of toys
Means a sack full of joys
For millions of girls
And for millions of boys
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year.
A jack-in-the-box waits for children to shout
“Wake up! Don’t you know that it’s time to come out!”
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year.
A skooter for Jimmy
A dolly for Sue
The kind that will even say, “How do you do?”
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year.
—(this part is spoken)—
How would you like to be a Coda plug-in car?
Or a Volt?
Or a Solyndra Solar Panel?
Or a Spotted Elephant?
Or a Choo-Choo with square wheels on your caboose?
Or a water pistol that shoots — jelly?
We’re all misfits!
How would you like to be an ambassador that can’t breath?
Or a soldier who isn’t allowed to shoot?
Or a Border Patrol that can’t arrest?
We’re all misfits.
—(back to singing)—
If we’re on the Island of Unwanted Toys
We’ll miss all the fun with the girls and the boys
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful day of the year!
It may be massive compared to the size of their workforce.
Obviously, you're not up to speed on the objectives of an electric car business.
You're not in business to sell cars. Heavens, no! You're in business to collect loans and grants from the taxpayers, launder them...and then fold.
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